Severe weather swings in South West leave families battling floods and farmers facing bad year | Devon Live Skip to main content Extreme weather swings from drought to persistent rain have left families battling flooding and farmers facing another bad year in the fields. The Met Office said this winter will be remembered for its "relentless rain", with provisional figures showing many areas of the UK suffered very wet conditions over the season. Since November 1, the Environment Agency has issued 814 flood warnings, three of which were severe, as well as 2.562 flood alerts. It marks a dramatic change from 2025, which saw record dry and warm conditions cause drought across swathes of the country, leading to hosepipe bans and impacts on agriculture and wildlife. The final parts of England still struggling with drought only moved into recovery status in January as a result of wet conditions – though these led to repeated flood warnings for communities in some parts of the country.
Published: February 28, 2026 5:04 pm
Source: Devon Live — Read original